By Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski
February 13, 2012

This past July [2011], I had the privilege of traveling to Haiti and work with the mayor of Carrefour in his rebuilding efforts. Carrefour is adjacent to Port-a-Prince, has a population of over 600,000 people, and was at the epicenter of the earthquake that caused mass destruction throughout Haiti in 2010 leaving over 200,000 dead and three million homeless.

A year after the quake’s devastating effects had fallen from the headlines, the country and city laid in significant disrepair. My desire was do something to help. After speaking to the mayor, he had two major requests; one revolved around sanitation and his need for a garbage truck and the other centered on recreation. As I drove from the airport to Carrefour, I quickly understood why a garbage truck was needed. Haiti has no visible sanitation policy and pile upon pile of garbage burns openly in the streets. Thanks to the generosity of the Waste Management Corporation, I was able to secure a used garbage hauler that the mayor is using to vigorously clean the streets of Carrefour of trash.

The second request was not so evident to me at first. With the many needs that existed in Carrefour, why request a playground? As the team assembled the donated equipment from PlayWorld Systems, the answer became clear: the power of play and the impact it can have in a community and on a child’s life is profound. I had later come to find out that throughout the entire country of Haiti, there were only three or four actual playgrounds for children. This one playground would serve the entire city of Carrefour. Through the shear misery that exists in the daily life of these children and their families, that one playground brought joy. To see that joy manifest on a child’s face when using a swing for the first time is a sight that is transformational to one’s soul.

This is why I’m reaching out to you, my fellow mayors, asking you to help. Help bring that sense of joy to children in some of the poorest cities on the globe. Consider donating your used play equipment to an organization called Kids Around the World.

Kids Around the World (KIDS) is a 501(c)3 organization that builds playgrounds for children in communities devastated by poverty or natural disaster. For the past 15 years, they have built playgrounds in more than 35 different countries. This has taken KIDS into many countries in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe, as well as Haiti (before and after the major earthquake damage), Thailand after the tsunami, and our own Gulf Coast after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Recently, they have been “recycling” playgrounds donated to them for children in underprivileged areas. They remove the equipment, refurbish it as necessary and then ship it overseas to other countries, where children are waiting – but they need your help.

The demand for these “recycled” playgrounds has increased and they need more. If you are aware of a playground that is being replaced or removed in your city, please consider donating the equipments to KIDS.

KIDS is fully insured and can offer you a certificate of insurance, plus they provide a liability waiver that protects you from claims during the onsite removal, and extends to future claims after the equipment has been reinstalled in another country. None of these playgrounds will be installed in the United States. Once they have reinstalled the equipment, they send you a picture of the children….enjoying your gift of play!

Not all playgrounds can be refurbished effectively, so while KIDS will do all they can to accept playgrounds that are badly needed, there will be some they have to decline. All they ask is for us to consider them and offer them the chance. They will then find a way to remove the equipment and have it brought to one of their facilities.

Let your old, used play equipment bring joy to children in need. Consider donating it to KIDS. If you have any questions or have used equipment to donate, please do not hesitate to call them at 815-229-8731.

Thank you for your help.